Still 5+ years in the future, but California’s high-speed rail demands air transport's attention

California's high-speed rail (HSR) project, covering much of the west of the state and connecting many of the major cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco, is the first genuine HSR passenger rail service in the US and will be one that will run on designated tracks that aren't used by freight.

Progress has been very slow - it was first mooted in 1955! - funding has been hard to find, and there are innumerable problems on the central section that is the first to be constructed and where not a yard of actual track has yet been laid.

Nevertheless the project is transitioning from being merely a 'vision' to one of reality, with an anticipated opening date and revenue-earning services functioning now somewhere in 2033.

There are still voices that proclaim it to be a 'boondoggle' - a waste of time and money - and the bill for it gets bigger every day while local political favouritism on some sections of the traffic causes consternation. It remains a publicly funded venture although the private sector could have a role to play in later phases.

This report examines the state of play as it stands and suggests that airlines and airports alike need to be considering their response now to the challenges the line will throw at them.